Example of an instrument built using Multifluidic Evolutionary ComponentsUC RIVERSIDEA team of bioengineers has designed a suite of 3-D printed laboratory instruments that can fit together in any number of combinations to form bespoke apparatus. Their so-called Multifluidic Evolutionary Components (MECs) work like Legos, with each building block performing a particular function for the machine, such as pumping fluids, mixing solutions, or sensing pH.
“As a proof-of-concept, we use MECs to build a variety of instruments, including a fluidic routing and mixing system capable of manipulating fluid volumes over five orders of magnitude, an acid-base titration instrument suitable for use in schools, and a bioreactor suitable for maintaining and analyzing cell cultures in research and diagnostic applications,” the authors wrote in their report, published in PLOS ONE today (July 20).
Douglas Hill, a postdoc at the University of California, Riverside, who led the project, was inspired by his years working in electronic design. “When Doug came to UC Riverside, he was a little shocked to find out that bioengineers build new instruments from scratch,” Hill’s advisor, William Grover, said in a press release. “He’s used to putting together a ...
